S.A.’s long history of murals reaching city’s core

A group worked on the mural recently at the rear of the Alamo Music Center, which features Texas music stars. The crew included Haider "Banks" Rashid, Bruce Pena, Arthur Rosas and Roberto "Dabs One" Leija.

A group worked on the mural recently at the rear of the Alamo Music Center, which features Texas music stars. The crew included Haider "Banks" Rashid, Bruce Pena, Arthur Rosas and Roberto "Dabs One" Leija.

Photo: Emily Bamforth / Express-News

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Leija steps back to look at the painting of pianist Scott Joplin.

Leija steps back to look at the painting of pianist Scott Joplin.

Photo: Emily Bamforth / Express-News

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Rashid adds detail to a depiction of accordion legend Flaco Jimenez.

Rashid adds detail to a depiction of accordion legend Flaco Jimenez.

Photo: Emily Bamforth / Express-News

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Photo: Emily Bamforth / Express-News

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Photo: Emily Bamforth / Express-News

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The artists used aerosol spray paint to complete the mural.

The artists used aerosol spray paint to complete the mural.

Photo: Emily Bamforth / Express-News

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Bassist Val Mora is also depicted in the mural.

Bassist Val Mora is also depicted in the mural.

Photo: Emily Bamforth / Express-News

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The text at the top of the Alamo Music Center mural reads "Life is more fun... when you play music."

The text at the top of the Alamo Music Center mural reads "Life is more fun... when you play music."

This mural at San Pedro Avenue and Interstate 35 depicts one of the members of "Come Together and Be Humble" -- Bruce Pena -- shaking hands with Police Chief William McManus.

This mural at San Pedro Avenue and Interstate 35 depicts one of the members of "Come Together and Be Humble" -- Bruce Pena -- shaking hands with Police Chief William McManus.

Photo: Alphonso Lizcano / Courtesy photo

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McManus came out to see the mural when it was in progress, and shook hands with Rashid. Later, he chose "Come Together" as the words to hold up in the Faces of San Antonio project.

McManus came out to see the mural when it was in progress, and shook hands with Rashid. Later, he chose "Come Together" as the words to hold up in the Faces of San Antonio project.

Photo: Alphonso Lizcano / Courtesy photo

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"Adam," by world-renowned artist Arturo Herrera, which is a network of red paint strokes seemingly slashed on to the canvas, will space 97 feet, 9 inches. It's scheduled for completion in mid-December at the Frost Bank building parking garage facing Main Plaza. less

"Adam," by world-renowned artist Arturo Herrera, which is a network of red paint strokes seemingly slashed on to the canvas, will space 97 feet, 9 inches. It's scheduled for completion in mid-December at the ... more

Photo: Courtesy Linda Pace Foundation

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Students from MOSAIC, Blue Star Contemporary Art museum's education program, San Anto Cultural Arts students and community volunteers work on a mural which will be installed on Nolan Street where it dips under the train tracks. less

Students from MOSAIC, Blue Star Contemporary Art museum's education program, San Anto Cultural Arts students and community volunteers work on a mural which will be installed on Nolan Street where it dips under ... more

Photo: Courtesy photo

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The idea behind the mural is movement — the colorful lines will be seen by passing cars. There's not much pedestrian traffic through the underpass.

The idea behind the mural is movement — the colorful lines will be seen by passing cars. There's not much pedestrian traffic through the underpass.

Photo: Courtesy photo

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S.A.'s long history of murals reaching city's core

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As the day nears sundown, out come the artists.

Cans of spray paint lay on the sidewalk near the back wall of the Alamo Music Center on North Main Avenue.

The tattoo-sleeved Haider “Banks” Rashid works the details of a portrait of accordion legend Flaco Jimenez. Roberto “Dabs One” Leija applies gray paint in oscillating motions for the background of country crooner George Strait’s panel. The wall is a Texas music hall of fame, of sorts, with bassist Val Mora, saxophonist Ornette Coleman, jazz band leader Jim Cullum and pianist Scott Joplin also inducted.

“The goal is to make them look like they’re all playing on one stage,” Rashid said, surveying his design.

Murals, like the one created on the backside of the Alamo Music Center, are appearing in a new wave on buildings in and around downtown.

They provide public art and social commentary, but they also help counter graffiti and tagging.

Rashid has formed an art collective called “Come Together, Be Humble,” which is responsible for three new murals downtown in recent months. District 1 Councilman Diego Bernal has tapped the group for his fledgling district-wide mural program.

A block south of the music store, the group created another piece showing the Lorax and other Dr. Seuss characters looming over downtown’s only community garden. A half-mile north, on the side of a graffiti-covered building on San Pedro Avenue, they created one depicting Police Chief William McManus shaking the paint-covered hand of an artist with the words, “Come Together, Be Humble,” between them.

See where to view some of the slew of murals already up or to be completed in and around downtown here.

“Muralism has a long and storied history in San Antonio,” said Jan Jarboe Russell, vice president of the Linda Pace Foundation. “In a historic city like this, it’s important for people to make sure (aspects of the city develop) through time.”

Artists that immigrated to San Antonio after the 1910 Mexican Revolution brought the practice of muralism with them, Russell said.

The Linda Pace Foundation, named after the late local art advocate and founder of Artpace, is sponsoring the creation of an abstract mural by world-renowned artist Arturo Herrera on the parking garage of the Frost Bank building which faces Main Plaza.

“Adam,” which is a network of red paint strokes seemingly slashed on to the canvas, will space 97 feet, 9 inches. It’s scheduled for completion in mid-December.

In 1999, Herrera participated in Artpace’s International Artist-in-Residence program.

“Arturo brings a contemporary look at murals,” Russell said. “His work is very clean and pristine and very sensitive … It doesn’t look like the murals you’ve seen before.”

The new mural at the Alamo Music Center is designed to be complement older drawings on the adjacent side of the building. In faded, sepia tones, the older artwork advertises piano and organ manufacturers and shows people playing keyboard instruments.

“The new mural speaks to the fact that we’re still around and still modern, and that we’re reinventing ourselves and wanting to make downtown a thriving community,” Adriana Flores, co-owner of the music store, said.

More traditional murals can be found on the West Side, many of which were completed by San Anto Cultural Arts. The nonprofit arts group has completed 44 murals in its 20 years of existence.

The works are humanistic and often depict events that occur in the neighborhood.

However, the organization is stepping outside its comfort zone with the creation of an abstract mural on Nolan Street as it approaches the train tracks on the near East Side.

Designed by noted local artist Alex Rubio, former mural coordinator at San Anto, the mural will span 218 feet. When completed at the end of the month, it will be the largest mural in San Anto’s inventory.

“This design is mainly for adding interest to an area that has had a history of being tagged for graffiti,” Rubio said, “trying to add a design that is flexible for the community.”

The panorama is made up of colorful swirls that resemble finger prints.

“The keyword is movement,” Rubio added.

The mural will be created indoors on a flexible material called polytab fabric and then moved to its outdoor location. It will be sprayed with an anti-graffiti coating that will allow tagging to be removed with water and soap or a pressure washer.

Students from Mosaic, the Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum’s education program, and San Anto are helping to create the project.

“We’re hoping it spawns more discussion (about public art),” San Anto director Harvey Mireles said. “We have a huge network of artists, more than most major cities in Texas. … We want for people to be able to step out of their home and have art readily available.”

Bernal’s program stems from a similar idea. He is recruiting artists to provide free murals for businesses hit hard by graffiti to discourage future vandalism.

The program will target areas like Fresno, San Pedro and West Jackson, which are hit harder by graffiti than other parts of the district, such as downtown.

About 10 businesses have signed up, Bernal said. Eventually, he hopes to expand the program to downtown.

“It’s a pilot program,” Bernal said. “We still have a few hoops to jump through, but it’s really beginning to pick up steam.”

Bernal hopes to one day have a municipal murals program similar to that in Philadelphia. It also began as an anti-graffiti effort, but by the means of channeling graffiti artists’ efforts into mural creation. Since the program began in 1984, it has produced over 3,600 murals.

For now, mural creation will continue to come from many different sources. Soon, “Come Together, Be Humble” plans to start a two-sided mural on the side of The Clean Plate, a farm-to-table restaurant at Main Street and Interstate 35, soon.

Murals can illustrate the diversity and change that’s occurring in the downtown area, Flores said.

“A lot of people have certain stereotypes about downtown, that’s it’s not exciting, that there’s nothing new,” she said. “It speaks to the idea that there are people that want downtown to be lived in and updated … there’s so much going on (and public art) invites people back downtown.”